


Pas de Deux

by msalexiscriss



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dance, Dancing, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, POV Multiple, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 23:19:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12970626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msalexiscriss/pseuds/msalexiscriss
Summary: In ballet, apas de deuxis a dance duet in which two dancers perform ballet steps together. Agrand pas de deuxis a structuredpas de deuxthat commonly has five parts: anentrée, anadagio, two variations (a solo for each dancer), and acoda. It is a set of dances that share a common theme, often symbolic of a love story or the partnership inherent in love, with the dancers portraying expressions of affectionate feelings and thoughts between romantic partners. It is considered thepièce de résistance—the most remarkable dance in a ballet. This is Magnus and Alec'spièce de résistance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [likemybonfireheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likemybonfireheart/gifts).



> Hello!!! I’m back with a new story!!! First of all I want to apologize for taking so long to post new stuff, with Thanksgiving and all the things that happened in the last couple of weeks, I wasn’t very inspired to write or edit my work, so I decided to take a few days for myself to regroup and come back stronger. It took me a bit longer than I expected but here I am, back at it again and ready to survive this long hiatus one fic at a time, so let’s start, shall we???
> 
> This story is very short and different from my usual style, but I still hope you like it. It was written for my dear friend Chris [(likemybonfireheart)](http://likemybonfireheart.tumblr.com/) as a ~~belated~~ birthday gift, so Chris...I really hope you like this little something. You’re one of the sweetest, most supportive people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and I couldn’t be more grateful to be able to call you my friend. Thanks for always being there!!! Happy ~~belated~~ birthday!!!

**Entrée**

Alec was practicing. In the last three weeks, he had been staying every day after school to practice, trying—without much luck—to make his body lose some of the stiffness that years and years of training had given him. He was a dancer, one of the twenty students that the New York Dance Institute accepted every year. It was an absolute honor to have the chance to study there and although he was still over the moon for the opportunity he now had to make all his dreams come true, not everything had been as perfect as he had imagined it would be.

The Institute was way beyond his expectations, the teachers, the facilities, everything was top level, but unfortunately he hadn't been doing so well in all his classes. He was a classically-trained ballet dancer since the age of four, so adjusting to all these new lessons and styles that took him out of his comfort zone had been a real challenge for him. Lyrical, Jazz, Contemporary, all of those classes required him to let go of his body, to relax his muscles—something that Alec had recently discovered he couldn’t do so easily.

His teachers wanted him to _’get loose,’_ to _‘break_ _his lines,’_ but no matter how hard he tried, his body refused to cooperate. The more he tried to nail the stupid choreography and make his movements more fluid, the more frustrated he felt with himself. Forcing his body to break the lines that years of practice and private tutors had perfected in him was perhaps the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. For two decades he had trained his body to be a servant of his mind, to be precise, and now, well, now he had to learn how to not do that.

“Goddammit!” He cursed, wiping the sweat from his forehead and throwing the towel across the room in frustration. He knew the choreography, he knew the steps, he just had a _legato_ problem—his movements weren’t continuous and fluent.

“You think too much.” A voice said, startling him.

Alec turned around and saw that there was a tall, well-built, and very attractive man standing on the threshold of the small dance studio Alec had been using to practice. He was wearing pants and a sweatshirt with the Institute logo on them, so he figured he was another student. He wasn’t any of Alec’s classmates, he knew them all well by now, so this handsome stranger was definitely older than him. A year or two perhaps—he looked young.

“I’m Magnus,” the handsome stranger continued, “second year.” He added casually.

“I’m-I’m Alec...first year.”

“Classical ballet dancer?” Magnus asked, raising a brow in curiosity.

“Is it too obvious?”

“A bit.” Magnus smiled. “And judging from the song selection, I'm guessing you were practicing for Contemporary? Mrs. Lefevre always uses that song for first years.”

“Yeah, my personal hell.” Alec confessed.

Magnus just smiled. “You're good, you just have to stop thinking too much about what you're doing and let your body feel the music.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Not so much once you get the hang of it. Besides, you’re a classical ballet dancer, I know dedication is in your blood.”

Alec chuckled. “How so?”

“Well, I’ve been studying here for a year and I can assure you that classical ballet students are the most dedicated dancers in the entire Institute and with good reason. I mean, getting into one of the best classical ballet companies in the world isn’t an easy task, it requires practice, determination, sacrifice and a lot of dedication. Have you set your eyes on any particular company?”

“The Paris Opera Ballet.”

“Ambitious, but an excellent choice.”

“Yeah, but I’m never going to get a chance to audition if I fail Contemporary—and Jazz and Lyrical for that matter.”

Magnus chuckled. “You’re not going to fail them, you were doing great just now, you just have to find a way to make your movements more fluid.”

Alec sighed defeated. He had been trying to do «that» since the first day he had gotten there, but he hadn't been very successful.

“Come…” Magnus said, smiling at him, and taking off his sweatshirt, “I can help you practice a bit. Give me an _arabesque.”_

Alec hesitated, _was this guy being serious? He wasn’t expecting him to actually accept his help, was he?_

“Come on darling, don’t be shy.”

“Oh, you’re serious.” Alec said surprised. Apparently, Magnus did expect him to accept his help.

“Of course I’m serious, come on, give me your best _arabesque.”_

Alec hesitated again, but did it, taking a deep breath before commanding his body to do the very familiar position.

“Perfect line,” Magnus said, smiling approvingly, “perhaps too perfect for Contemporary.” He added, getting closer to Alec and carefully placing his hands on Alec’s back.

Alec’s breath hitched, this close proximity to Magnus was too much for him. He was used to teachers and other dancers sometimes giving him pointers and helping him with some of his movements and steps, but those teachers and dancers didn’t look like this guy nor did they have the effect that he clearly had on him. Having Magnus so close to his body was a completely different experience.

“Now, relax your leg a bit and move your hands and arms like this,” Magnus instructed him, “you need to give more softness to your arms so that they go with the rest of your body, see?” He added, pointing to the image of both of them in the mirror.

Alec looked up and, well, Magnus was right, he looked different, less rigid and more...relaxed. But that wasn’t what made him stop breathing for the second time in less than a minute, no, it was the sudden connection he felt with Magnus, the mutual understanding that their bodies seemed to have and that the mirror was reflecting.

“Try it again, but now on your own.” Magnus said.

Alec tried again. This time his _arabesque_ was different, not perfect, but definitely more fluid.

“See? You nailed it. Now give me a _developpe_ and a _plie_.”

Alec took a deep breath again and did what he was told to with Magnus still standing closely behind him.

“Perfect, but too square,” Magnus said, “you worry too much about the technique. I mean, it’s natural and your technique is impeccable, but you have to forget about it for a second. Free your mind, feel the music, let it be the one to guide your movements. Your lines are perfect and beautiful, I’ve never seen a dancer like you, so elegant, so precise, but if you want to do better in Contemporary, you'll have to-”

“-break my lines.” Alec completed the sentence. That had been what his teachers had been telling him over and over again.

“No!” Magnus immediately exclaimed, “just bend them. If you break your lines then you’ll lose your style, just bend them. You’re too talented, you don't need to change. People here will try to convince you otherwise, but don't listen to them. Your style is yours and you have to defend it, own it, never let them take that away from you, just find a middle point and-” he was saying when his phone rang.

“I'm sorry,” Magnus said, “I have to take this call.”

“Don’t worry.” Alec smiled, grateful for the chance to compose himself a bit. His head was spinning, he had never felt so uneasy and yet so comfortable in front of anyone before and he really didn’t know what to do with himself.

“My dear little cabbage! How have you been?” Magnus answered his call. He seemed very happy to talk to whoever this dear little cabbage was. “Yes, I'm sorry...I know I promised to be home to Skype with you, but I lost track of time.”

Although Magnus didn't seem to care that Alec was listening to part of his conversation, Alec felt really uncomfortable, so he walked to pick up the towel he had previously thrown as a way to give Magnus—who was chatting quite animatedly with his friend—some sort of privacy.

“What!? You’re kidding right? Are you really downstairs? When did you arrive!?” Magnus asked enthusiastically. “Why didn’t you tell me anything!? Who knew? Santiago? The bastard didn’t say anything! I'm going to kill him! No, but seriously, why didn’t you tell me you were coming!? Well, it doesn't matter anymore, you’re here and that’s all I care. I’ll see you in just a second, okay? Yeah, yeah…bye.”

Alec looked at him.

“I have to go,” Magnus said, “a friend is in town and it’s Friday so…” he added as if that explained everything.

“Of course.”

“You have plans?”

“Yeah, later…” Alec said although it wasn’t true. His plan was to go home and finish the book he had been reading, but he didn't want to look like a complete loser in front of Magnus, so he figured pretending he had a more interesting life was better to make a good impression. He was a dancer, it wasn't unusual for him to love dancing above anything else, but he was also young, living in New York City. He should be using his Friday nights to party and not to be a hermit and lock himself in his apartment doing nothing, but he had never been like the rest. He had always been an introvert, finding the inner world of the mind far more interesting than the outer world.

“Well, then, I guess I’ll see you around, Alec.” Magnus winked at him.

Alec just nodded because this man really had a strange effect on him. The way he talked and moved was very distracting. He felt dizzy and high just by his presence.

“Have a great night then and stay safe!” Magnus added.

“Hmmm, yeah...you too.”

“Bye, and remember...bend your lines, don’t-”

“-break them, got it.” Alec smiled.

Magnus smiled back and winked again before walking out of the dance studio.

Alec just stood there watching him go and unable to process the encounter. Meeting Magnus had been all kinds of surprising, unexpected and intense, he felt uneasy, unstable, as if the ground had shifted beneath him. And it probably had, because amidst the whirlwind of emotions that he felt inside, there was one thing he knew for sure...after tonight, he would never, ever, see dancing the same way again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Adagio**

Magnus would be lying if he said that since meeting Alec he hadn’t obsessed over him, he had been looking for the guy everywhere, spying on each and every classroom and dance studio in the Institute just to see if by any chance he happened to find him in one of them. With the unexpected call from his friend Ragnor the day they had met, he had forgotten to ask Alec not only his number, but also his last name, and although he had been asking around trying to see if anyone knew him, just _‘Alec’_ hadn’t been of much help. He had asked for days, he had tried to find him among the students, but it was as if the guy was a ghost—a product of his sometimes very vivid imagination.

Of course Magnus knew he hadn’t made Alec up, the guy was real, he had helped him—touched him even. He knew with absolute certainty that Alec was made of flesh and blood, but apparently besides being extremely good looking and talented, the man was good at going unnoticed. Somehow his god-like complexion, beautiful eyes and sweet smile hadn't caused an impact on the student population of this place, which was a pity—someone like Alec deserved to be the center of attention wherever he went.

“I'll see you all on Friday.” Mr. Dorfman, Magnus’s Composition teacher said, ending the class.

Magnus didn't waste a single second of his time and ran into the hallway to try to spot Alec in the flock of students who were currently on their way to their next class. He had been doing that after practically all his classes, scanning thousands of faces, but never finding the one he was looking for.

“Where the hell are you!?” Magnus muttered under his breath. The Institute was big, but not big enough to make finding Alec so damn difficult. _How could a man as tall as a tree go unnoticed?_ He had no freaking idea.

Resigned to the fact that Alec wasn’t there, he quickly made up his mind and headed toward the first floor of the building, where all the administrative offices were. He had tried to avoid doing what he was about to do because he knew he would never hear the end of it, but as that old saying went, _‘desperate times called for desperate measures.’_ Since they had met, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about Alec, he had even dreamed about him for two consecutive nights, so he had to start taking some action into this matter or else he was going to go crazy.

Magnus reached the administrative offices and made his way to the last desk in the room. He knew it well, since he had enrolled there, he had been visiting it almost every week when he had some free time.

“Cat!” Magnus smiled, greeting the woman behind the desk. It was Catarina Loss, one of his best friends since high school and the assistant of the Admissions and Financial Aid director of the Institute. She had started working part-time at the institution a couple of months before Magnus got admitted, so in a way it had been great for them to continue seeing each other almost on a daily basis even when they no longer studied together.

“Well, look what my eyes are finally seeing! Magnus!” She exclaimed, quickly greeting him with a kiss and a bone-crushing hug. “I was starting to think that you-” she stopped mid-sentence when the office phone rang, “-two seconds.” She added.

Magnus smiled and just waited there, getting a bit more anxious with each passing minute. What he had gone there to ask her excited him and scared him all at the same time. It excited him because if everything went according to plan, he would finally have a real chance to find Alec, but it scared him because this was the first time since he had been admitted as a student at the Institute that he was going to take advantage of his friendship with Cat to ask for a favor.

“Sorry,” Cat said after a few minutes, “these phones never stop ringing.” She said.

“It’s fine, don’t worry, I have time...free period.”

“How have you been? I haven't seen you all week, I missed your handsome face.”

Magnus smiled. “Me and my handsome face are fine, what about you, how are things going? We missed you over the weekend, Ragnor was in town.”

“I know, I called him when I had to pull the double shift. He was a bit mad, but eventually understood. He knows that juggling college and work ain't easy.”

“But you’re okay, right?”

“Yes, I'm okay, tired, but fine. You know me, I don't let things overwhelm me, I take one day at a time. But tell me about you! You didn't visit me on Monday, you always come, I even brought you one of those cupcakes you can’t eat but still love, what have you been up to, huh?”

“I’ve been practicing a bit more this semester,” he said, “but mainly these last few days I've been using my free time to look for someone.”

She frowned, clearly not following him.

“A guy I met last week,” Magnus elaborated, “another student. He bewitched me, Cat—literally—and I need to find him so that he can either remove the spell and I can finally be myself again or accept an invitation to go out with me for a drink.”

Cat chuckled. “You're ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but I'm dead serious about this. I don't know why or what happened, but I have this need inside me to see him again. It's weird, I'd never felt like this before, but it's true. I can't concentrate, I can't stop thinking about him...I'm a mess and that's why I need your help.”

“My help?”

“Yes, your help. I met him last Friday and it's already Wednesday and I haven't found him. I've been a total creep and stalked each and every one of the classrooms and dance studios in the Institute, but he's nowhere to be found.”

“Are you sure he's a student?” Cat questioned.

Magnus nodded. “First year, his name is Alec.”

“It doesn't ring a bell.”

“Cat, the Institute accepts only twenty new students per year, it's not like there are that many first years.”

“I know, but I don't know anyone named Alec...and I've met almost all the students.” She clarified.

“He's tall, very handsome, with dark hair, gorgeous eyes, beautiful smile, amazing body.”

“Honey, do you have any idea how many handsome dark-haired men with gorgeous eyes, beautiful smiles and amazing bodies walk around this place?”

“Well, not that many I can assure you that, or at least none that can compare to him, Cat. I swear he looks like a supermodel.”

Cat rolled her eyes. “I know your type Magnus, you have a penchant for pretty boys and girls, every single person you’ve dated looks like a supermodel.”

“Well, what can I say? I have good taste. But please…could you help me find this guy on the Institute’s server? I really need to find him.”

“Magnus…”

“Please, Cat! We could be talking about my future husband here! If you help me find him, one day I could tell our future children that their dear aunt Catarina helped their papa find their dad. Please?”

“Are you even listening to what you’re saying?”

“Yes, and like I already said, I’m dead serious about it.”

Cat just looked at him with her sometimes very intimidating eyes.

“Please? I’ll take you to your favorite restaurant as a thank you gift.”

Cat sighed. “Fine, but I'm going to order champagne and the most expensive thing I can find in the menu. Oh, and if someday you do get married and have children with this guy, I don't just want you to tell them the story of how I helped you find him, I want to be their Godmother, got it?” She joked.

“I promise.” Magnus smiled, already eager for her to give him something, anything, about Alec.

Cat rolled her eyes in exasperation, but immediately opened the Institute’s server. “Do you have his last name?”

“No, just his name...Alec.”

“There’s no one named Alec.” She confirmed. “Maybe he wasn’t really a student and he was just here for a private practice with one of the teachers or-”

“No,” Magnus cut her off, “he was practicing for Contemporary, Mrs. Lefevre’s first year class. He looked pretty down because he wasn’t doing so well and I helped him. He's a student, I'm sure of that.”

“Well, he’s not in the system.”

“Try with Alexander.” Magnus said. Maybe Alec was short for Alexander. He had once met an Alexander who switched between Alex and Alec all the time.

“Hmmm, there are four Alexanders in the Institute at the moment without counting anyone from the faculty. It’s a common name.”

“Are there any first years?”

“Hmmm, yes...two.”

“Is there any chance you can let me see their pictures?” Magnus asked.

“No.”

“Please? This is a life or death situation, Cat, I won’t tell anyone that you did this for me.”

Catarina rolled her eyes, but turned the computer monitor so that Magnus could see the screen.

“That’s not him.” He said, when he saw the first guy Cat was showing him. He was not bad looking, but he was definitely not as good looking as Alec. This guy had blond hair, rosy-pale skin and green eyes.

“Can I see the other one?”

Cat changed the picture.

“That’s him!” Magnus exclaimed, smiling because there he was, his Alec...his Alexander—as handsome and cute as he remembered him.

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, first year, classical ballet dancer.” Catarina said, reading the information in the file. “Mystery solved. You’ve found him. Now let me get back to work because unlike you, I’m not on a break.”

“Okay, but can I get a copy of his schedule?”

“Are you crazy? I can't do that.”

“Why not?”

“I can't give you another student's schedule, I could lose my job for that.”

“For a silly schedule? It's not that big of a deal, I mean, we're both students here, it's quite common for students to share schedules with their friends.”

“Students, Magnus, I'm part of the administrative staff, I can't do that. I helped you get his full name, that's all I can do for you. Don't ask for more because the answer will be no.”

Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Besides, don't you always say you love challenges? Finding this guy is just another one.” She smiled, clearly mocking him. “Think about it, Magnus, one day you'll get to tell those imaginary children you told me about not only how I, out of the kindness of my heart, helped you find out their dad's name, but how you, so heroically, found him among the other 120 students that the New York Institute had—a real feat.”

Magnus gave her a look. “Sometimes I hate you.”

“Yeah, I love you too.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Variation 1**

It had been a long day and although it wasn’t that late—barely past 6:00 p.m.—Alec was eager to go home and sleep until the next morning. His feet hurt and he had blisters all over them. He was used to them by now, they were part of a dancer's life, but having them, even after all these years, still managed to put him in a bad mood. His go-to home remedy for these kinds of days usually included a warm bath, his bed and a cup of hot chocolate with small marshmallows, but unfortunately, he couldn’t go home just yet.

His classes were over for today, but he was still doing badly at Contemporary and knew that whether he liked it or not, he had to practice. He really didn't want to, but he had to. So resigned to not seeing his bed until later that day and trying to forget the pain in his feet, he made his way to the top floor of the building—where the private dance studios were—to find a place where he could practice until he made some progress with his dancing.

Alec stepped out of the elevator and frowned when he realized there was music coming out of one of the dance studios. It was weird, not only because it meant that there was someone else who had stayed late on this Wednesday evening—the Institute usually emptied around 5:00 p.m.—but because they were using the studio located at the far end of the hall: the fishbowl. The one that everyone avoided because it had a glass wall that faced the main street and through which all passers-by could see you rehearsing.

Curious as to whom this dancer might be, Alec followed the music until he found himself standing in front of the closed door of the almost-always-empty dance studio. He knew that what he was about to do wasn’t right, spying, no matter the excuse, was wrong; but he was a curious man and really wanted to know who was this other student, who like him, had stayed after class to practice. He admired people with dedication and although the music that this stranger seemed to be dancing to wasn't really his style, it sounded interesting.

Alec took a deep breath and peeked through the small window in the door, almost fainting when he caught a glimpse of who was inside.

The man practicing was none other than Magnus, the same Magnus who, since they had met last Friday, hadn't left Alec's thoughts. Alec had been discreetly looking for him in the halls of the Institute, trying to run into him after some class or during practice. He had wanted to have the opportunity to talk to him again and, with some luck, even watch him dance, but he hadn't been so lucky.

_Until now, of course._

Alec smiled excitedly at the opportunity he had to see Magnus dance and made himself comfortable in front of the door to enjoy the show. The song that Magnus had just started dancing sounded familiar, he didn't know its name or who sang it, but as of this day, it was his favorite song in the world. Watching Magnus dance to its sweet tempo and tell its story with his body was hypnotizing and captivating, something completely out of this world—like watching a painting come to life.

It was clear to Alec that Magnus was a contemporary ballet dancer. His movements and steps were perfectly trained, but still they were free and unconstrained. He moved so smoothly, so in sync with his body that he made dancing look as easy as breathing. He had a perfect line, but unlike Alec, he knew how to bend it. He used his body as a means of communication and let his legs, arms, hands and back do all the talking—it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Magnus had a strong presence, Alec had noticed that when they had first met. In addition to his evident handsomeness, he was confident, smart and seemed to be very comfortable in his own skin. The way he carried himself when he moved around the dance floor was captivating. He caught you under his spell, his body called you, making you want to look nowhere but at him. Alec had never experienced anything like this, but it made him remember when he had seen the northern lights for the first time and had not wanted to even blink for fear of missing a second of that incredible natural phenomenon. Magnus's dance moves were like those lights—dazzling, breathtaking, unbelievable...magical.

Alec stood there, just watching Magnus dance song after song after song. He had had every intention of going to practice himself, but he had to admit that watching Magnus dance had turned out to be a bit addictive and the best remedy for his bad mood. The man was perfect in every sense of the word, and Alec really wished he could see him dance every minute of every hour of every day for the rest of his life.

After about an hour or so of dancing without even taking a break to catch his breath, Magnus took a bow—surely to acknowledge the people who had been watching him from the street—and walked to where his iPod was to turn off the music, making Alec's heart to skip a beat. He had been so enthralled with the little show Magnus had put that he hadn’t thought about what he was going to do once it was over. The hallway that connected all the dance studios wasn't long and didn't have many places for Alec to hide, so the chances of Magnus discovering him spying on him were very high.

Alec panicked—that couldn’t happen. He didn’t want Magnus to discover him when he was being a total creep. He didn’t want their next encounter to be like that. Magnus had left quite the impression on him and now more than ever, Alec wanted to have a chance to get to know him better. Magnus, under no circumstances, could know that Alec had spent an hour ogling him from the small window on the door.

“Shit!” Alec muttered, contemplating his options.

Magnus was now wiping the sweat from his forehead, neck and arms, and was gathering his stuff, so that meant that he had no more than a few minutes to find a place to hide. He couldn’t waste time trying to find a dance studio that wasn't locked, nor try to take the elevator or the stairs, he could see if the maintenance closet was open and hide there, but it was risky...like flipping a coin.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

Desperate, Alec started to look around and noticed that there were a pair of trash cans on the right side of the hallway. It wasn’t the ideal place to hide, especially for someone as tall as him, but it was his only option; so, without thinking twice, he ran towards them and hid behind them, trying to calm his breathing to avoid alerting Magnus of his presence.

After a couple of seconds that actually felt like hours, Magnus walked out of the studio and turned off the lights behind him. He was now dressed similarly to the first time Alec had seen him, with pants and a sweatshirt with the Institute logo on them. Alec smiled. Only a guy like him would make pants and a sweatshirt look fashionable. The Institute should really consider hiring him to promote its clothing line, with a model like Magnus they would run out of stock in the blink of an eye.

Alec chuckled perhaps louder than he had intended because Magnus stopped dead in his tracks and turned around as if looking for the source of the sound. Alec covered his mouth and stopped breathing. He could feel Magnus’s eyes scanning the hallway, so he prayed that his hiding place was good enough to conceal him.

“Hello?” Magnus said.

Alec's heart was pounding, but he tried not to move.

After a few seconds, Magnus just shrugged and resumed his walking.

When Alec was sure that Magnus was gone and the elevator doors had closed behind him, he came out of hiding and exhaled in relief. That had been close and, although a part of himself was a bit ashamed of his more than childish behavior, he regretted nothing. He had had the chance to see Magnus dance and like the man himself, it had been absolutely perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

**Variation 2**

When the bell rang, Magnus ran out of his classroom and headed down the stairs to the second floor. According to Alec’s schedule—the one he had just gotten from Mrs. Porter, his Drama teacher—the man had ballet with Mr. Shostakovich in the Anna Pavlova classroom, so that meant he had a matter of minutes to get to Alec before his class started.

Magnus ran as fast as he could through the halls of the Institute without even stopping to catch his breath. He was a man on a mission. He wanted to see Alec again, he wanted to have a chance to talk to him and maybe with some luck even ask him out. Unfortunately, by the time he made it to the second floor, the class had already started and all the students were inside the classroom.

"Dammit!" He exclaimed, leaning against the door and trying to regulate his breathing.

Alec seemed to be playing hard to get, but Magnus wasn't one to give up so easily, so without thinking twice, he decided to skip his next class—Tap—and stay outside the classroom to wait for Alec. That would probably earn him the title of the world’s greatest creep, but he didn't care, he was willing to carry it proudly if that meant seeing Alec and talking to him again.

When the hallway emptied, Magnus dropped his bag on the floor and peeked through the small window on the door. Alec’s class was just starting, Mr. Shostakovich was pacing around the room, tapping with his cane the tempo of the song while the students quickly took the bars and began to do some warm-up exercises.

Magnus scanned the dancers and soon found the one he was looking for. Alec was just to the left of the long line of ballerinas, standing next to the only other five _danseurs_ that his class had.

Like any other class around the Institute, there were more female dancers than male. It wasn't uncommon, even today, any type of professional dance was considered mainly for girls. In Magnus's opinion, these stereotypes were incredibly stupid, history had proven that men had excelled in the many forms of dance for centuries. For example, ballet had been considered masculine and predominantly for men until the second half of the 18th century. It was true that women later had taken up the study of this art, and had eventually overtaken men in the performance of it, but it had originally been a type of dance dominated by men.

 _“Come on, people, I want to see you using those legs and arms!”_ Mr. Shostakovich said, clapping loudly and sending his ballerinas to the center of the room to do some pirouettes. _“Why are you doing sickle piques, Sonia? Ruby reach! Reach!”_

While Mr. Shostakovich tried to kill all the ballerinas one _plie_ at a time, Magnus focused his attention on Alec. The man was still doing some warm-up exercises on the bars, stretching his legs and feet high in the air and making sure every muscle in his body was ready to dance. Magnus’s eyes inevitably drifted to his very tight clothes.

Alec was wearing a gray unitard with black stripes that accentuated every line of his perfectly toned and styled body. Magnus had seen thousands of dancers wearing all sorts of unitards and tights, but never in all his years as a dancer had he had the need to send a thank-you card to whoever had designed such attire.

Alexander was the epitome of virility, seduction and masculinity all in one man and Magnus felt drawn to him in a way he couldn't explain—he had seriously never felt so attracted to a person before. He had always had a bit of a wandering eye, but since last Friday, when he had met Alec, it was as if the world had somehow stopped spinning and he only had eyes for him. Magnus hadn't lied when he had told Cat that Alec had bewitched him, that he felt trapped under his spell. The moment they had locked eyes, something had happened inside him, something momentous, from which there was no turning back.

 _“Line up, line up!”_ The teacher shouted over the music, making all the ballerinas to form lines. _“From the top!”_ He commanded them, and as trained soldiers, ballerinas and _danseurs_ alike began to dance the steps that Magnus assumed they had been practicing for weeks now. The assembly moved in perfect synchronization and Magnus had some trouble breathing. Classical ballet was breathtakingly beautiful when executed perfectly and these students were absolutely amazing. All twenty of them were perfect, but Magnus's eyes were focused on just one: Alexander.

Alec's dancing was elegant and precise, strong, masculine, and seductive—very, very seductive. He moved with such grace that it was hard to take your eyes off him. He was an artist, his body was his brush and the dance floor his canvas, and he was painting the most beautiful piece of art known to mankind.

Magnus smiled.

It was odd, but watching him dance was evoking emotions in him that he hadn't felt before. Alec danced and it was as if Magnus could understand his language. Every step he took, every movement he made, Magnus knew what Alec's body was trying to communicate. He had always thought of dancing as a great form of communication, he used it to express himself when words weren't enough, but this man spoke to him on a completely different level. It was intimate, private...Magnus saw him, understood him.

Mr. Shostakovich made them all stop and then one by one, he called them to stand in the center of the room to dance a solo. Some students were pretty good, some could use a little more practice, but it wasn’t as if Magnus was really paying them much attention. He was anxiously waiting for Alec's turn. He wanted to see him dance, shine...his palms were sweating with anticipation.

 _“Mr. Lightwood.”_ The teacher called, and Alec just took a deep breath and placed himself in the center of the classroom.

The pianist started to play and Alec's skillful limbs began to move. He was dancing an excerpt from Beethoven's 4th symphony, going from one side of the room to the other following the slow rhythm of the song. He went from one step to another without much effort and in the most delicate, precise and elegant way Magnus had ever seen.

He was good, very good, of course Magnus already knew that, he had witnessed his perfect line last Friday when they had met, but this...this was something else entirely. Watching him in his element was an experience in itself. Alec had said he wanted to be part of the Paris Opera Ballet and Magnus could already see him there, as the main dancer, the center of everyone's attention.

 _“Grand jete.”_ Mr. Shostakovich instructed him and Alec followed the order, commanding his body to do the classic step and executing it perfectly.

Magnus smiled pleased—that had been flawless.

“Mr. Bane, what do you think you're doing standing there?” A voice snapped him out of this dream-like experience he had been having. “Aren’t you supposed to be in my class right now? You're half an hour late.”

“I…” Magnus said, slowly turning around to face Mrs. Brooks, his Tap teacher. “I wasn't feeling so well.” He lied.

“Is that so? You, poor thing. And spying on Mr. Shostakovich’s first year class made you feel any better?”

“Yes,” Magnus smiled, “it was just what I needed.”

Mrs. Brooks shook her head, apparently amused by Magnus's cynicism. “You are lucky that I consider you one of my best students, but I won't be so understanding the next time you miss my class to spy on who knows who. Come on, let's go, as punishment I'm going to make you dance your butt off for what's left of the class.”

“But-” Magnus complained, he wanted to keep watching Alec dance and talk to him after his class.

“No buts, if you really felt that bad you should have gone home. Come on, chop-chop.”

Magnus sighed with resignation. Maybe today he hadn't had the chance to talk to Alec, but at least he had seen him dance and that had been almost as good as hearing his lovely voice again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Coda**

Alec entered one of the private dance studios and made himself at home. It was Friday and, although it had been a long week, he had decided to stay after classes again to practice a bit. Today he had been called out twice for not being able to relax his body during the dance routines and the situation was becoming increasingly humiliating and frustrating. He understood that he had to do better, learn to adapt, but making all those changes in a couple of weeks wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

He put on some music and after doing some warm-up exercises to prevent an injury, he started to go over the choreography for his Contemporary class. He had to learn to bend his lines as Magnus had told him last week, but his body was simply too rigid, too used to perfect lines than bending them—or breaking them for that matter—was impossible.

“You’re still thinking too much, I can hear you over the music.” Magnus said. He was standing on the threshold of the small dance studio, carrying his bag and smiling at Alec from ear to ear.

“Magnus…” Alec breathed out before his whole body decided to short-circuit. Magnus was there, standing in front of him—exactly one week after they had met, as if they had been destined to meet again in this of all places.

“I see that Contemporary is still your personal hell,” Magnus continued, “but now I’m even more convinced that your problem isn't in your dancing, but in here.” He pointed to his temple. “You’re still trying to think about dancing instead of just dancing.” He added, entering the studio and closing the door behind him. “You need to let your body take over the song. This is going to sound super cliché, but you have to dance with your heart, not with your brain. Dancing is about feeling, not thinking.”

“I’ve tried, but I can’t.”

“Yes you can, I’ve seen you do it, Alexander.”

“What?” Alec asked surprised. Not only because apparently Magnus had seen him dance before, but because he had called him Alexander, and hearing his full name roll out of the lips of someone other than his parents had taken him a bit off guard. He had always hated it when people used his full name, it usually meant he was in some kind of trouble, but, oddly enough, having Magnus say it had had the opposite effect—he had liked it. He had liked it a lot.

“I was being a creep yesterday and I saw you dancing, you were in class with Mr. Shostakovich, you’re without a doubt the most talented ballet dancer I’ve ever seen.”

“You saw me?” Alec asked, feeling his body reacting to the unexpected confession. His cheeks were burning hot.

“Yes, for a while actually. Your solo was an excerpt from Beethoven’s 4th symphony, it was absolutely breathtaking, like nothing I've seen before. You have a very elegant and I dare to say seductive way of performing, I couldn't take my eyes off of you.”

“I...I…” Alec ran out of words. He had never taken compliments well, he always had a hard time believing them, but the way Magnus said them, so straightforward, without a hint of irony, made him feel something funny in the pit of his stomach. “Thank you…”

“You have it within you, Alexander, you're the best dancer I’ve seen in ages, give yourself some credit.”

The heat on Alec's cheeks intensified, but he smiled. “Well, since you're being honest, I have a confession to make.” He said. “I was being a creep myself the other day and I saw you dancing too, not in class...in the fishbowl. You were practicing...you're perfect. I mean, your technique is perfect. You have all the good elements of conservative ballet, but that ease and freedom of contemporary. It's hard to get the perfect balance, I've been trying to find it myself, but you have it.” Alec confessed. He didn't know why it was so easy for him to be honest and talk to Magnus, but it was.

Magnus let out a chuckle and Alec could swear that the world had stopped at that sound. He had a beautiful laugh.

“I guess we're both creeps, then.” Magnus concluded.

Alec smiled. “Yes, I think we are.”

They smiled at each other and Alec's heartbeat quickened. That thing that he had felt the first time they had met, that connection, that mutual understanding was still there—he hadn't made it up. He could see it reflected in Magnus's eyes.

“I…”

“Would you like me to help you a bit with your dancing?” Magnus volunteered. “It seemed to work last week.”

Alec hesitated for a second. _Was this really happening? Had Magnus just volunteered himself to help him...again?_

“If you don't want to, it's okay, I was just-”

“No, yes!” Alec exclaimed maybe a bit too loud. In his defense, he was no longer in control of his emotions. He felt every fiber of his being as if it were on fire. The connection between his heart, brain and mouth had completely melted.

“Then, come...stand in the center of the room.” Magnus instructed him as he walked to place his iPod in the studio's speaker system. “I have just the perfect song for us.” He continued. “I have to confess that I've been listening to it since I saw you dancing, picturing us dancing it together.”

Alec just looked at him, trying to register his words and not fully believing that this was actually happening. Ever since he had seen Magnus dance, he had been daydreaming about this moment, wondering if he was ever going to get so lucky as to dance with someone as talented and brilliant as him. And the fact that Magnus had been thinking the same was something he would have never imagined, but that made his heart do all kinds of somersaults.

“It's an instrumental song.” Magnus added.

“I didn't take you for an instrumental music kind of guy, most contemporary dancers go for the top 40 songs.”

“Well, I can assure you, I'm not like most dancers.” Magnus said, winking at him and making the color return to Alec's cheeks in an instant. “Now, about the song...I want you to just feel it, okay? I want you to dance like you would if you were improvising a classical piece. I'll help you find that middle point, okay?”

Alec nodded a little hesitantly. He had no idea what perfect song Magnus could have found for them, but he really hoped it was a good one because he didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of this man. He wanted to impress him.

“The song is called Beethoven’s 5 secrets.”

Alec frowned—it was a curious name.

“The first time I saw you truly dancing,” Magnus elaborated, “was to a Beethoven symphony, this song is a mashup of Beethoven’s 5th symphony and the song Secrets by OneRepublic. I want you to see how good you are and find that ease you're lacking, and I think this song can help you. It's very fitting for us, it's the perfect example of how two different styles can be merged into one and create something new, something special.”

Alec didn't know what to say, but he couldn't wait to hear it. The more Magnus talked about how fitting for them the song was, the more curious he got about it.

“Now, close your eyes.” Magnus said, getting closer to Alec.

Alec looked him straight in the eye. He couldn't move, he couldn't breath, he was just looking at those chocolate eyes and trying to read them, to uncover all its secrets.

“Trust me…”

Alec took a leap of faith and closed his eyes. For what felt like years, but were only a few seconds, all he felt was the beating of his own heart and the closeness of Magnus's body. They weren't touching, but he was aware of his presence, as you were aware of the sun when it touched your skin even if you had your eyes closed.

“Ready?” Magnus whispered.

Alec nodded.

The first notes of the song started to play and Alec immediately got lost in the melody. It was so beautiful, so unique...so perfect. He felt like he was spinning even though he wasn't even moving. He was frozen in place, overwhelmed by emotions, until a pair of hands grabbed him from behind and encouraged him to move. At first, the contact made him jump and it sent a chill down his body, it was new, foreign, but the moment Magnus's warm touch registered in his mind, he opened his eyes and smiled.

He let the music guide him and, feeling the mixed beat of the song, he started to dance, with Magnus following his every step. It was magical and perfect in every sense of the word, they fit and connected as if they had known each other for years. Alec took a step and Magnus countered, it was a battle of styles, but neither was trying to outshine the other, on the contrary, they were complementing each other—as Magnus had said, two different styles merging into one to create something new, special...beautiful.

“Feel…” Magnus whispered into his ear.

And so Alec did, and it was only then, as they twirled and danced around the room in perfect synchrony, that he finally found that middle point he had been looking for. He could feel the lines in his body bending, relaxing by the second as he let the music and Magnus's movements guide him, take him with him. It was intense, like nothing he had felt before.

Alec laughed with glee. At that precise moment he felt like flying, as if his heart was about to burst with so much happiness.

“See?” Magnus said, and Alec just beamed at him. He could not only see it, but he could feel it. With each step they took, he felt that connection between them getting stronger. It was intoxicating. What they had was an attraction that went far beyond the physical, it was as if their bodies called each other, saying, _'hey, it's me...the one you've been looking for.'_

Alec had never felt like that with anyone.

The song reached its climax and Alec could barely breath, all his senses were overwhelmed, this was too much for him—he felt pulled to Magnus, body and soul. When the song seemed to abruptly come to an end, Alec turned around and found himself face to face with Magnus. Both their breaths were uneven, not only because of all the dancing, but because of the almost tangible electricity between them.

“Alexander…” Magnus whispered, as the song continued at a softer pace. Alec could barely hear it, he was just aware of it softly playing in the background, like the soundtrack of a movie, but his attention was focused on Magnus and Magnus only.

“Magnus…” Alec replied, and suddenly he was no longer in control of himself. He didn't know what possessed him, maybe the beautiful song or the intense look in Magnus's eyes, but he closed the small distance between them and placed his lips on Magnus's, kissing him as he had never kissed anyone before.

Magnus smiled into the kiss and intensified it, leaving Alec with no room for rational thoughts. The only thing in his mind was the realization that kissing Magnus was better than dancing, he could kiss him all day, every day for the rest of his life and he would be more than fine with it. That connection they had had while dancing was still there, but stronger. It was overwhelming, but in the best way possible.

From the moment they had met, something had happened between them, something that Alec couldn't even begin to understand, but this romantic exchange between them somehow explained it. This was meant to be—they, them...together. Dancing, kissing. He had no idea what was going to happen from now on, what would become of them, but he was certain that he didn't want to stop kissing Magnus—ever.

The song came to an end and although they broke the kiss to gasp for some air, they didn't move. They stayed there, breathing each other in, lingering on the feeling of what had just happened between them. There was absolute silence, but in the midst of that quietness, Alec could hear the unmistakable sound of two hearts, two hearts that perhaps before today had beat at their own rhythm, danced at their own pace, but that now beat and danced as one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!!! I'll see you real soon for a new LFY update ;) don't forget to leave comments, kudos and/or bookmark the story!!!! 
> 
> P.S: You can find the song Magnus and Alec danced [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL6TEWbwUik)!!!


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